


sanguine

by shadowcat500



Series: Plaguetober 2020 [15]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Autopsies, Blood, Gen, Gore, Graphic Description of Corpses, Minor Character Death, Plague Doctors, Plaguetober 2020, or at least preparation for one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27013219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowcat500/pseuds/shadowcat500
Summary: Jacob and Cassandra prepare to do an autopsy on a plague victim.
Series: Plaguetober 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948417
Kudos: 2





	sanguine

**Author's Note:**

> 15/10 Red

The woman is carried in by her family, swaddled in cloth like a baby. Cassandra wants to hope the liquid slowly dyeing the fabric red isn’t what she thinks it is, but knows it’s fruitless to hope so. 

The woman is delicately laid on the table, and they begin to slowly peel the cloth off her body. Red begins to run off the corpse in rivulets, soaking the cloth and dripping through the table slats onto the floor, the smell of iron managing to leak even through the smell of the herbs stuffed in her mask. Jacob looks like he’s about to be sick, and she knows he has a as strong a stomach as she does.

“This is the patient?” She knows it’s a superfluous question, but it’s a part of procedure she needs to cling to in this moment.

The man who carried her by her shoulders, presumably a husband, nods. The poor man’s front is soaked along with those of the other people who helped carry her in. She feels awful for all of them: to carry a loved one knowing they’re gone is awful, but being soaked in their blood as you do it is worse.

Jacob gestures for them to leave. “You’ll want to wash, and burn the clothes you’re wearing. She wouldn’t want you to get sick as well.”

They nod and leave, apart from her husband who stays by the doorway. 

“Sir?”

He shakes his head.

“Sir, we can’t do this with you in the room. We need you to leave, the risk of infection will get much higher during the investigation.”

He shakes his head again.

“Your children need you. She won’t need you anymore.”

His jaw tightens. 

“Sir. Please.”

He spins around and marches out of the room. 

Jacob and Cassandra both sigh, and turn to the body. Maybe nothing will be gained from taking samples, but they can’t throw away the idea of a cure on such a chance.

**Author's Note:**

> well i did call it the blood plague
> 
> Check out my [ tumblr](https://existentialcrisisetcetera.tumblr.com/tagged/zach%20writes)!
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated!


End file.
